On May 11, 2009, the space shuttle Atlantis was launched from the Kennedy Space Center and docked with the Hubble Space Telescope 360 miles above the earth. During Servicing Mission 4 (SM4), astronauts installed new, cutting-edge scientific instruments and replaced gyroscopes, batteries, and other equipment. After a difficult but very successful upgrade of the telescope, the astronauts released Hubble on May 19. The Exploratorium Webcast team will bring you two live Webcasts (May 20 & May 23) about this arduous mission and the future of the telescope.

On May 11, 2009, the space shuttle Atlantis was launched from the Kennedy Space Center and docked with the Hubble Space Telescope 360 miles above the earth. During Servicing Mission 4 (SM4), astronauts installed new, cutting-edge scientific instruments and replaced gyroscopes, batteries, and other equipment. After a difficult but very successful upgrade of the telescope, the astronauts released Hubble on May 19. The Exploratorium Webcast team will bring you two live Webcasts (May 20 & May 23) about this arduous mission and the future of the telescope.

The Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) will be brought back to life with the installation of the new experimental NICMOS cryo-cooler. The cryo-cooler updates the technology from that of an icebox to a modern refrigerator. We also talk to Keith Noll, head if the Hubble Heritage Project, which is responsible for bringing us those stunning pictures from deep space.

Webcasts made possible through
the generosity of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, The Jim Clark
Endowment for Internet Education, the McBean Family Foundation,.and the Corporation for Educational Networks Initiatives in California (CENIC).